Why Am I Only One Who Has That Dream
by RagamuffinSundrop
Summary: Chris thinks Mitch has forgotten his twenty-first birthday. Nothing could be further from the truth when Mitch makes one of Chris' dreams come true.


Why Am I The Only One Who Has That Dream?

I do not own Real Genius nor do I make any money from the writing of this story.

Mitch Taylor wanted to scream in frustration. He knew that being younger than most of the students he was currently teaching was a disadvantage. He knew that he had to work harder than other graduate students to be taken seriously because he was eighteen but still looked about twelve The fact that he didn't teach often didn't help either. He was aware that sometimes even though he knew the material his newness and nervousness about teaching it showed. He knew all this and could usually deal with it fairly well, even if it was grudgingly, at times but this was getting to be too much.

Earlier that morning, Chris, Mitch's best friend and roommate had asked Mitch if he was willing to teach one of Chris' classes for the afternoon. A meeting at Darlington, where Chris worked in addition to teaching at Pacific Tech, had been rescheduled and Chris had to attend which meant he had no one to teach his class that was scheduled for that afternoon. Chris explained that Mitch had been his first choice because according to the blond, if he himself wasn't able to teach, Mitch was the only logical choice as no one else could explain the material so well and because he knew that Mitch had an afternoon free.

Always ready to help a friend Mitch had agreed immediately. Teaching a class for Chris would be more productive than sitting around their shared apartment all afternoon watching television. Now he was seriously starting to regret his decision.

For the most part, Mitch thought teaching college students wasn't so bad. Unlike high school students the people he was teaching were paying to be there. They were interested in the material and unlike high school students were given the freedom to choose what they wanted to study. They were more mature than high school students. At least that had been his opinion of most of the undergrads he'd encountered. The two students at the back of the room that had been acting out the entire lecture had obviously never matured beyond elementary school.

They'd been throwing paper airplanes at each other and toward the front of the room. They'd kept up a running commentary during his lecture forcing him to raise his voice slightly while trying to prevent himself from shouting. They'd tripped up the stairs towards the back of the room. They'd spilled coffee on Mitch while they'd entered the room and laughed about it as if what they had done was the height of humor. One of them had even placed a whoopee cushion on a seat and laughed when an unsuspecting student sat on it. When Mitch had asked politely if they had any questions during their running commentary the only response he'd received had been a belch.

"Chris, you are so going to owe me big time for this." Mitch said under his breath as he checked his watch. Finally, the class was over. He could go back to the apartment, take a few aspirin and plot his roommate and best friend's impending death. He took his time packing things up in case any students had questions about the lecture. Thanks to the constant stream of distractions he wasn't sure that everyone had heard everything or understood everything.

"Um, Sir?" A hesitant voice spoke.

"Mitch. You don't need to call me sir." Mitch corrected as he stopped packing and turned his attention to the person who'd spoken.

To his surprise, the two men who had been distracting the lecture with their antics were standing in front of the desk looking for all the world like little boys who had been caught stealing cookies before dinner.

"We're sorry for the way we acted." The one on the left apologized.

"Why'd you do it?" Mitch asked still frustrated and annoyed but now confused as well.

"We were paid to do it."

"By whom?" Mitch asked trying to figure out whom he or Chris had annoyed enough to pay these two to do what they did. Ick was still around but this didn't seem like something he would do. This did seem like something Kent would do but he'd disappeared shortly after Hathaway was fired. Even if she hadn't been in New York and was still at Pacific Tech this wasn't Jordan's style.

"Chris, I mean Dr. Knight paid us. He said to tell you that he thought you'd appreciate the surprise considering the one you gave him this morning." 

"Of course. I should have known." Mitch said more to himself than the other two.

It was Chris' twenty-first birthday. Mitch actually had something special planned for the blond later that evening but because he'd wanted to keep everything a surprise he hadn't mentioned anything about it or Chris' birthday that morning. Part of Mitch felt stupid for not realizing that his best friend of three years would likely react like this after thinking that Mitch forgot his birthday. Another part of him was impressed that Chris managed to pull this off so quickly.

"Sir? I mean Mitch."

"Sorry about that." Mitch apologized realizing he'd spaced out.

"It's fine guys. I'll see you later." Mitch said as he finished packing up his things and left the room. 

"Hi honey, I'm home." Chris called out jokingly as he entered their shared apartment.

"Have a good day at work, dear?" Mitch called back from his room playing along.

On his way back to the apartment Mitch had run into Ick and Jordan, who was visiting for Chris' birthday and had been happy to be drafted into helping Ick and some of the others finish getting ready for Chris' party. Ick had assured Mitch that almost everything was done. They needed about another hour for things to be perfect. At that point, Mitch had decided to take Chris out to dinner instead of just calling for a pizza or take-out.

"Excellent sweetheart. How about you? Anything interesting happen today?" Chris asked sounding closer than before.

Mitch turned around surprised to see Chris standing in his bedroom doorway watching him dress in more casual clothing. He wasn't about to take Chris to dinner in the suit he'd worn while teaching. Chris would never let him live it down.

"I had two guys who apparently didn't get enough attention as children and decided to make up for it in the class I covered for you." Mitch answered his voice muffled slightly as he pulled a shirt over his head.

"Imagine my surprise when I learned that they were only acting that way because you paid them to do it."

"I had my reasons." Chris said sounding hurt.

"Did something happen?" Mitch asked innocently.

"Forget it. Obviously it wasn't that important." Chris snapped.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what I did or didn't do but for what it's worth I'm sorry. How about I take you to dinner." Mitch offered doing his best to appear contrite.

"All-right." Chris agreed still sounding hurt but looking slightly mollified at the offer for dinner.

"I'm wearing my animal slippers." Chris called out as he entered his own to change his clothes.

"Wouldn't be you, if you didn't." Mitch called back with a smile. He'd take Chris to dinner, let him have his first legal drink or two and then bring a hopefully happier, possibly slightly tipsy Chris back to campus for the rest of his birthday surprise.

"What are we doing here?" Chris asked as Mitch guided him towards the hall where he'd thrown the Tanning Invitational years ago.

"Would you believe breaking and entering?" Mitch teased.

"Breaking and entering? I've rubbed off on you, Mitch. I'm so proud."

"You need to be blindfolded first." Mitch said removing a tie from his pocket and tying it around Chris' eyes.

"Take your jacket off too." Mitch instructed him as he reached around for the robes Ick had left in the bushes for him.

"Blindfolded and made to remove clothing. If bondage is next on your list I really have rubbed off on you."

"I've got to save something for Christmas." Mitch quipped as he guided Chris through the door.

"Three steps up." Mitch said leading Chris up the ladder that had been placed at the front of the room and led to a large pyramid that Mitch had built for Chris' birthday.

Mitch looked around the room carefully. They couldn't get a thousand women in the room but he thought they'd done well. All the ladies they had gotten were nude and armed with small pickles. The pyramid Chris was standing on was pretty impressive considering the students at Pacific Tech weren't known for their artistic achievements. The sun god ropes look like a cross between curtains and a bathrobe but they'd do. Satisfied that everything was in order Mitch dropped his hand signaling that it was time to begin. Women started screaming and throwing pickles as Mitch removed Chris' blindfold letting the blond take everything in.

"This is amazing." Chris said turning to Mitch with a smile on his face reminiscent of the smile of a child who had just been given all his Christmas wishes in one big present.

"This is my dream. What? How?" Chris babbled eyes going from Mitch to the crowd of screaming, nude, pickle throwing women and back again.

"Enjoy." Mitch said turning Chris back to the face the women.

"And Chris?"

"Yeah, Mitch?"

Mitch leaned forward and whispered the words in Chris' ear.

"Happy birthday."

"Good birthday?" Mitch asked Chris as the two stumbled tiredly into their apartment. After the nude, screaming, pickle-throwing women had done their bit Chris and Mitch had stayed in the hall for a few hours partying with their friends and a few student beauticians from the Wanda Trexler School of beauty.

"Good birthday." Chris confirmed with a smile.

"Good. I'm going to bed. I'm beat. Night, Chris." Mitch said fighting a yawn.

A hand wrapped around Mitch's wrist and pulled him back around to face Chris.

Before Mitch could ask what Chris wanted the blond was pulling him into a heated kiss that left Mitch breathless, panting, confused but happy and smiling after it ended.

"Now, it's a great birthday." Chris said giving him a lecherous wink and an absolutely filthy smile.

"Just wait until you see what I have planned for next year." Mitch promised exiting the room.

Chris' laughter followed him down the hall to his bedroom. A few minutes later, Chris now clad only in his boxers and his animal slippers did too.

6


End file.
